Don't grab a coffee for that concentration boost, just look out of the window.
Researchers say that simply looking at nature from your desk for 40 seconds can boost your brainpower.
They found even people looking at a picture of screen of a meadowlike green roof saw an effect.
Australian researchers say that simply looking at nature from your desk for 40 seconds can boost your brainpower - even if it's just a picture.
Students who glanced at an image of a flowering meadow green roof in the middle of a boring task, did much better than those who looked at a bare concrete roof picture, the University of Melbourne study found.
'A micro-break viewing a green, but not concrete roof city scene, sustains attention,' they wrote.
'The green roof city scene perceived as more restorative than concrete roof city scene, and the results suggest city nature is valuable for healthy cities and workplaces.'
Published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, it involved 150 students pressing numbers repeatedly flashed on a computer screen, unless it was the number three.
Midway through the task, they had a 40-second break when half looked at the green roof and the rest at the concrete one.
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The first group made significantly less errors and showed superior concentration on the rest of the task compared to the others, said lead researcher Dr Kate Lee.
The green roof boosted the mental resources controlling attention.
So just a moment of green could provide a boost for tired workers, she said.
'We know that green roofs are great for the environment but now we can say that they boost attention too,' she said.
Midway through the task, students had a 40-second break when half looked at the green roof and the rest at this concrete one.
'Imagine the impact that has for thousands of employees working in nearby offices.'
Dr Lee, who is studying the way green space can be incorporated into cities, said green roofs can improve the quality of lives particularly when there's not enough space for parks.
The implications of the study for city office workers and residents add extra impetus to greening our cities, she said.
'This study showed us that looking at an image of nature for less than a minute was all it took to help people perform better on our task.
The research focused on micro-breaks, those short and informal breaks, which happen spontaneously throughout the day.
'It's really important to have micro-breaks.
Facebook recently moved into it's new HQ in Menlo Park. On the roof is a 9-acre park with walking trails and many outdoor spaces to sit and work.
'It's something that a lot of us do naturally when we're stressed or mentally fatigued,' Dr Lee added.
'There's a reason you look out the window and seek nature, it can help you concentrate on your work and to maintain performance across the workday.
'Certainly this study has implications for workplace well-being and adds extra impetus to continue greening our cities.
'City planners around the world are switching on to these benefits of green roofs and we hope the future of our cities will be a very green one.'
The next research project Dr Lee and her team plan to undertake tests whether looking at workplace greening makes people more helpful and creative.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3099782/Need-concentration-boost-Just-look-picture-40-seconds-Researchers-say-just-looking-green-roof-improve-brainpower.html#ixzz5ABoI5FZG
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